Keznamdi Hits the Steam Chalice at Skyline Levels

August 6 marks the 55th anniversary of Jamaica breaking free from the United Kingdom’s colonial rule. To honor the occasion, we are proud to bring you MERRY JANE Presents Jamaica Week. All week leading up to Jamaican Independence Day, MERRY JANE is celebrating the Jamaican people and the many great things that the island has given to the world — from music, dance, and food, to the Rastafarian religion, cannabis culture, and good vibes.

When people think of Jamaica, they often think of lush, verdant hills where cannabis and other plants grow with ease. Eclectic roots artist and Rastafarian Keznamdi grew up in such an area in the hills of St. Andrew, on the outskirts of Kingston. The son of parents who played in the reggae band Chakula, his home was Skyline Levels, which also functioned as the family recording studio.

As part of Jamaica Week, Keznamdi takes MERRY JANE on a tour of Skyline Levels and also talks about his music, his recreational, sacramental, and medicinal use of cannabis, why he prefers weed be grown and consumed a particular way, and how the climate of cannabis in Jamaica is changing for the better.